Elton John Slams Disney For Shunning 'Gnomeo & Juliet'
March 2nd, 2011 12:31pm ESTElton John has taken aim at Disney bosses for resisting his plans for Gnomeo & Juliet and failing to throw their full support behind the animated movie.
The singer spent more than 10 years trying to convince executives to greenlight the project, which is based on Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet and features the voices of James McAvoy and Emily Blunt as the star-crossed lovers in gnome form.
The 3D family favorite has gone on to top the U.S. box office, but Elton is convinced it would have been even more successful with the support of everyone at Disney. He tells Canada's Marilyn Denis Show, "We fought resistance from the (Disney) studio for so long, and to be honest with you, the film has taken $75 million in America, and we haven't had a message of congratulations from anyone within the studio."
"Gnomeo & Juliet took us 11 years to make. We defied all the odds and all of the people at Disney who said this wouldn't be a hit. And it's the biggest hit, but it could have been a bigger hit if Disney got behind it more."
"They're so ashamed, and they should be ashamed of themselves - they're so afraid to congratulate us because John Lasseter of Pixar did not want us to make this movie that we still haven't had a message of congratulations or well done."
Sir Elton John and his partner, David Furnish, arrive Tuesday for the opening night of "Billy Elliot: The Musical" at Toronto’s Canon Theatre. John wrote the music for the Tony Award-winning musical, while Furnish is an executive producer. Chris Young, The Canadian Press
VIDEOElton John wears a tutu as he joins the cast of the stage musical for their curtain call. He was linked hand-in-hand with two young leading men. Chris Young, The Canadian Press
Elton John and the cast acknowledge the audiences cheers. Chris Young, The Canadian Press
The musical adaptation of the hit movie about a boy who discovers a love for dance has won 10 Tony Awards since it first staged in London in 2005. The show is set to make a stop in Atlanta at the Fox Theatre in 2012. Chris Young, The Canadian Press
LINK:
http://www.cbc.ca/news/arts/story/2011/03/01/john-furnish-elliot.html?ref=rss
Elton John celebrates Billy Elliot Toronto opening
The Canadian Press
Posted: Mar 1, 2011 7:38 PM ET
Last Updated: Mar 1, 2011 8:29 PM ET
Pop superstar Elton John and his partner, executive producer David Furnish, took a break from diaper duty Tuesday night to attend the Canadian opening of Billy Elliot the Musical.
The power couple, who became parents to a baby boy last Christmas Day, were among the stars who walked the red carpet at the Canon Theatre in Toronto.
"For me it's a dream come true," said Furnish, who was raised in Toronto.
John wrote the music for the 10-time Tony Award winning show, about a British boy whose father doesn't understand his desire to become a dancer.
On Tuesday, the singer said he will encourage his son to do whatever he wants.
"We would never encourage our son to do anything he didn't want to do. And if he wanted to do something that was totally alien to what I do then fantastic," said John.
"Nine weeks of fatherhood has been the best thing that's ever happened to us."
Billy Elliot is based on the 2000 film that earned three Oscar nominations. Stephen Daldry, who directed the film, also helms the stage show that debuted to critical acclaim in London in 2005.
Furnish came up with the idea for the stage musical after watching the Billy Elliot film with John at the Cannes Film Festival.
He said John was in tears because the story mirrored his own personal life so closely.
Cesar Corrales, Myles Erlick, Marcus Pei and J.P. Viernes rotate in the role of Billy in the Toronto production that started preview performances Feb. 1.
Alberta-raised Kate Hennig co-stars as dance teacher Mrs. Wilkinson, a role she also played in the Broadway show.
Daldry and Furnish wanted to bring Billy Elliot the Musical to Toronto before Broadway, because they felt the story would have a strong cultural connection in Canada.
But several issues stood in the way, including theatrical availability, logistics and budget.
Producers also needed to develop a support system in Canada for the young leads, who go through intensive training before taking on the role.
Sir Elton John and David Furnish To Attend Royal Wedding
http://www.inquisitr.com/99796/sir-elton-john-and-david-furnish-to-attend-royal-wedding/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+Inquisitr+%28Inquisitr%3A+All%29
Sir Elton John will attend the royal wedding of Britain’s Prince William and Kate Middleton.
The music legend, who played his song ‘Candle In the Wind’ at the funeral of William’s mother, Princes Diana, in 1997 – initially denied he and partner David Furnish had been invited, but he has now confirmed he will be going to the nuptials on April 29 with his husband David Furnish.
Asked by Canadian TV host Marilyn Denis if he would be attending, he said, “As far as I know, I don’t have an invitation.”
However, when she continued her questioning, he added, “I’ve been trying to be discreet. Yeah, we got an invitation.”
Elton recently welcomed his first son Zachary with Canadian partner David into the world on Christmas Day last year, December 25, and he hopes to take the tot – who was born via a surrogate mother – with him when he travels from country to country.
He said, “He’s got an American passport and a British passport. We gotta get him a Canadian one too. He’s a great traveller.
“I’m gonna take him with us. I take my dogs and he’s less trouble than the dogs. I’m not gonna leave him behind.”
The 64-year-old musician also revealed eccentric pop star Lady Gaga is on a list of candidates to be Zachary’s godmother.
He said, “We haven’t really announced it. There is a possibility. We have a list of candidates we’d like to ask and she is one of them.”
Tutù per Elton John al musical "Billy Elliot"
http://multimedia.lastampa.it/multimedia/spettacoli/lstp/26053/FOTO (02/03/2011)
Elton John veste il tutù e prende parte alla prima a Toronto del musical "Billy Elliot", di cui la star internazionale ha scritto le musiche.
Elton John and David Furnish Protect Clothes From Baby Vomit
http://www.inquisitr.com/97901/elton-john-and-david-furnish-protects-clothes-from-baby-vomit/?obref=obinsite
Sir Elton John and David Furnish constantly wear cloths over their shoulders to protect their clothes from baby vomit.
The couple welcomed their son Zachary into the world on Christmas Day last year, December 25, and the 48-year-old filmmaker revealed he and Elton have taken to sporting the unusual fashion accessory as they adjust to being first time fathers.
He said, ”We have muslins over our shoulders in case the baby spews up on us.”
Elton, 63, recently revealed he and David found it quite easy to adapt to the rigors of parenthood thanks to the fact he has so many godchildren – including Elizabeth Hurley’s eight-year-old son Damian – and his husband has a large group of nieces and nephews.
He explained, “I have a lot of godchildren. It’s not as if children aren’t in my life at all. They’ve been very prevalent in my life, over the last few years. David has lots of nieces and nephews. I’m a great lover of children.
“I never thought that one day I’d actually be a father, but I’m very pleased that I changed my mind. Children are extremely important. They are the future of the world. As long as David and I bring our son up to be a loving and compassionate boy, then I’ll be very happy. I love kids.”
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The Songs Of Elton John & Bernie Taupin | |
| ELTON JOHN The Songs Of Elton John & Bernie Taupin (Rare 2007 Universal Music Publishing promotional only retrospective 5-CD box set, featuring 80 tracks in total taken from 1970-2006 and featuring songs such as 'Take Me To The Pilot', 'Rocket Man', 'The Bitch Is Back', 'Blue Eyes', 'The One' and many more. Each disc comes complete with a custom picture sleeve featuring an image taken from the period that the CD represents, each with a tracklisting back insert. Also includes a 16-pagebooklet with track by track details, chart positions and more - all housed in a custom card picture slipcase!) | |
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Tracklisting & More Information1. Your Song 2. Border Song 3. Bad Side Of The Moon 4. Take Me To The Pilot 5. I Need You To Turn To 6. Sixty Years On 7. Country Comfort 8. Come Down In Time 9. Where To Now St. Peter 10. Burn Down The Mission 11. Into The Old Man's Shoes 12. Friends 13. Tiny Dancer 14. Levon 15. Madman Across The Water 16. Honky Cat 17. Mona Lisas & Mad Hatters Disc Two (1972-1973): 1. Rocket Man 2. I Think I'm Going To Kill Myself 3. Blues For Baby & Me 4. Daniel 5. Crocodile Rock 6. High Flyin' Bird 7. Skyline Pigeon (Piano Version) 8. Funeral For A Friend/Love Lies Bleeding 9. Candle In The Wind 10. Bennie & The Jets 11. Goodbye Yellow Brick Road 12. Grey Seal 13. I've Seen That Move Too 14. Saturday Night's Alright For Fighting 15. Roy Rogers 16. Harmony Disc Three (1974-1979): 1. The Bitch Is Back 2. Don't Let The Sun Go Down On Me 3. Captain Fantastic & The Brown Dirt Cowboy 4. Someone Saved My Life Tonight 5. We All Fall In Love Sometimes 6. Curtains 7. Philadelphia Freedom 8. Grow Some Funk Of Your Own 9. I Feel Like A Bullet (In The Gun Of Robert Ford) 10. Island Girl 11. Don't Go Breaking My Heart 12. Tonight 13. Sorry Seems To Be The Hardest Word 14. Part-Time Love 15. Song For Guy (Single Edit) Disc Four (1980-1989): 1. Little Jeannie 2. Sartorial Eloquence 3. Breaking Down Barriers 4. Elton's Song 5. Blue Eyes 6. Empty Garden (Hey Hey Johnny) 7. Kiss The Bridge 8. I'm Still Standing 9. I Guess That's Why They Call It The Blues 10. Too Low For Zero 11. Sad Songs (Say So Much) 12. Who Wears These Shoes? 13. Nikita 14. Slow Rivers 15. I Don't Wanna Go On With You Like That 16. Sacrifice Disc Five (1990-2006): 1. You Gotta Love Someone 2. Don't Le The Sun Go Down On Me - Live 3. The One 4. Believe 5. Please 6. Blessed 7. Something About The Way You Look Tonight 8. Recover Your Soul 9. Original Sin 10. I Want Love 11. This Train Don't Stop There Anymore 12. Too Many Tears 13. All That I'm Allowed (I'm Thankful) 14. The Bridge 15. Tinderbox 16. The Captain & The Kid 5 CD SET |
| Artist | Elton John |
| Title | The Songs Of Elton John & Bernie Taupin |
| Language | Regardless of country of origin all tracks are sung in English, unless otherwise stated in our description. |
| Additional info | Promo - A promotional copy of this item that was issued before it was available for general sale. Deleted - A deleted or out-of-print item is one that is no longer manufactured. However, we stock thousands of out-of-print formats and we specialise in tracking down out-of-print, deleted and hard-to-find releases. |
| Related Artists | Ayshea, Bernie Taupin, Bluesology, Bread And Beer band, Hookfoot, James Newton Howard, Kiki Dee, Nigel Olsson, Reg Dwight, The Banana Bunch |
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March 2, 2011
Guy Babylon video released
http://web.eltonjohn.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20110302&contentid=16787772
http://web.eltonjohn.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20110302&contentid=16787772
Las Vegas Twister now available on iTunes
By the Editor/eltonjohn.com
Las Vegas Twister, the only original music video by the late Guy Babylon, Elton's acclaimed keyboardist and arranger for 21 years, has been released on iTunes.com, and can now be downloaded for the first time since it was produced in 2008.Las Vegas Twister, a fast-paced, multi-instrument tune with an upbeat country flavour, is a fitting tribute to Guy's diverse talent as a composer, musician and visual artist. He not only wrote the music, but directed the video and performed all instruments, including keyboard, piano, autoharp, castlebar, drums, melodica and vibes.
"It started out as a simple idea, and just grew," said Babylon's wife, Kathy, who released the video on what would have been the couple's 20th wedding anniversary on February 27. "At first, he was experimenting with the autoharp, which he was teaching himself to play, but then he started adding other instruments, which inspired the full video."
Guy did much of the recording in hotel rooms while on tour with Elton, and then finished the final mix in his Los Angeles recording studio. He surprised Kathy with it for her birthday. "I was completely blown away," she said. "I couldn't believe it. I was surprised that he put himself in the video, because he was always so shy. But the way he did it, you can see that it's all about the music, all the little nuances and camera angles, having four things going all at once. Whenever he did something, it was always 100 percent."
Since 1988 Guy appeared in 1,351 concerts with the Elton John Band and performed on many albums and movie soundtracks, including The Lion King and The Road to El Dorado. He also produced the original cast recording of Elton's Broadway musical Aida, for which he won a Grammy award, and was the musical arranger for the musical Lestat. Most recently, he collaborated on music for the animated motion picture Gnomeo and Juliet. Sadly, Guy died suddenly on September 2, 2009. Elton, who is Executive Producer of Gnomeo & Juliet, gave a dedication to his friend Guy in the movie's closing credits.
The Las Vegas Twister video is available for download here. Other music by Guy Babylon is available through his official Web Site, www.BabylonMusic.biz.
